Disclaimer:
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2.
Guard Tamer: Blight of GAIA By: RB3
Chapter 6: Arms Race, part 1
Bertran, and Joy Joy entered the Real World for the first time after decades of Digital World time. This was a place they never expected to return to after devoting themselves to the defence of the Digital World. The plains of Japan extended far beyond what the eye could see. Behind them in the distance was the city of Tokyo itself, a vast metropolis that broke monotony of the plains. It would be a peaceful place to be, were it not for the explosions within the limits of Tokyo itself.
Every few seconds a missile exploding or a gun being fired could be heard. Strange inhuman shapes milled about and flew in the skies over the city. Bertran and Joy Joy were sure the shapes were of Blood Knight Digimon. Parts of the city itself suffered severed damage from repeated shelling and bombardment by these very Digimon. The people of Tokyo were in trouble and it was up to the Guard Tamers to put a stop to the bloodshed.
Guard Tamer troops began to establish their own base of operations, a campsite. A trooper placed a miniature building onto the ground and pushed a button-like object on the miniature. It suddenly grew to an astronomical size, becoming a new building. This new building was a temporary command centre from which Guard Tamer leaders directed their underlings. Other troopers placed buildings for a Digibeetle garage, infirmary, and dormitories.
Within a span of an hour, the whole base was established and Guard Tamers began to staff the buildings. A Black Sword Guard Tamer named Chris Conner called a meeting. Chris had the rank of Commander and so was in charge of leading the troops. He was a fairly tall man in his thirties, with violet hair and beard. He stroked his beard as he watched the troops file in.
Akira took his seat on the third row from the front, to the right of Kari Kamiya. Davis' Digidestined group all sat to the left of Kari, while Bertran and Joy Joy sat on Akira's right. The Digimon that were smaller sat in their partner's lap while the larger ones like Darkfryer had to stand. This meeting was a strategy meeting and everyone was gossiping about what will happen in the upcoming battle.
Cody objected greatly to the violence of war. "I hate all this. Already, we've had to kill several Blood Knight Digimon. I don't want to kill anymore Digimon, it's just wrong."
Yolei agreed. "I don't like it either."
"I feel the same way, but there are things we must do to protect ourselves and others," pointed out Davis. "We have too much riding on this..."
"For once Davis is right. Many people lives are at stake here. This is now a issue of what needs to be done, not what we want to do..." added TK.
"No one can have clean hands being defenders like we are," added Lillith.
Everyone, including Cody and Yolei reluctantly, nodded in agreement with the point made by Davis. Chris called the meeting to order and began with a brief self-introduction. The meeting went on to describe the reasons for the Guard Tamer presence in the Real World. Normally, the GTs had a non-interference policy with the Real World. With the Blood Knight attacks on the Real World, they had no choice but to intervene. The Real World armies weren't equipped or ready to face a foe like the Blood Knights.
Even more disturbing was the reason for the Blood Knights' attack on the Real World. They were searching for materials to create a new biochemical weapon. From the report of spies like Oikawa, the new toxin in these weapons was called "Blight." It was a vile and virulent compound, but wasn't as big a danger to GTs, Blood Knights, or their Digimon. All of them had enhancements made to their bodies to enable faster healing and regeneration. Both GTs and Blood Knights were more scientifically advanced and could cure Blight easily.
The same could not be said of the Real World and its inhabitants. Real World medicine wasn't advanced enough to cure the plague. It was obvious the Blood Knights intended to use the disease against the Real World. The Guard Tamers were one step behind the enemy, who took advantage of the head start to accumulate materials. Thus, there was not enough time to inoculate everyone in the Real World. Blight as a weapon was a true threat, and with enough it could wipe out the Real World's population.
Blight killed its victims by rotting their skin; slowly and painfully disrupting their bodily functions. Victims could be identified by a series of moldy growths growing on their skin. Their skin itself turned a sickly green, as though poison was seeping through the veins. The complexion of a Blight victim was very decrepit, resembling that of a zombie from a cheap horror movie. Victims may also experience difficulty in breathing as the toxin could clog wind passages in the body. Blight was a truly vile disease and only a sick and twisted mind would create something so terrifying.
As Akira listened to the description of the symptoms of Blight, he began to feel a sensation of discomfort. A feeling of deathly coldness and clamminess overtook his body. It was a familiar sensation and one that disturbed the very deepest reaches of his soul. He could envision a green cloud of Blight engulfing his entire body and the toxic cloud permeating the pores of his skin. Akira began to struggle to breathe as though his lungs were being clogged by thick goo.
Kari looked at Akira and noticed him shuddering uncontrollably as though in fear. "Akira, you alright?" she asked.
Akira did not respond. "Akira, are you alright?" she repeated.
Akira broke his trance and responded to Kari: "I'm fine..."
"You zoned out there for awhile. You were shuddering. It looked like you were afraid of something," suggested Darkfryer.
"Yeah. When I heard Chris describe the Blight, I felt like I was being infected. I felt cold and lifeless as though I was dead," admitted Akira as he shuddered. "I never felt so terrified in my life..."
"It sounds like you're just imagining things. You're not being infected at all..." dismissed Lillith.
"No, it was more than that... It was a coldness that came from very deep within. It was like a flashback from within my very soul. It is something I never want to see."
Kari, Lillith, and Darkfryer felt helpless. Their friend was scared and they didn't know what to do.
"If you ever want to talk about it..." offered Kari.
"I'll be fine. Thanks anyways, Kari."
Chris finished by extending an invitation to a Japanese military general. The Japanese armed forces have given their full cooperation in stopping the attacks of the Blood Knight invaders. On the screen was a map of Tokyo and the surrounding areas. Akira's squad, which consisted of Bertran, Joy Joy, and the Digidestined, was to make a hit-and-run raid meant to soften up enemy forces. After causing as much damage as possible the main force will move in to finish the enemy off.
Chris dismissed the raiders and Akira's squad went to the equipment room to get prepared. The equipment room itself was metallic, and had little in the way of decorations. On a rack opposite the door laid a series of small Uzi-like submachine guns. Unlike normal Uzis, these weapons fired energy bolts, which could either stun or kill a victim. There were small LCDs to show the ammunition and setting of the weapon. The guns were small, light and did not recoil when fired.
On the rack beside it was a series of strange looking black belts. They looked like the belts worn by wrestling or boxing champions. All around the front of the belt were a series of four small pockets. Each was filled with a rectangular cartridge. They were ammunition magazines and the pockets were recharging bays for these cartridges. On the central, circular part of the belt was a single red button. This button activated the defensive functions of the belt. The last feature was a single holster, obviously meant to hold the gun.
Akira took a gun and put a belt on. "Okay Digidestined, grab those guns and put on the belts."
The Digidestined did as they were told and strapped the belts on. They were a little afraid to take the guns as they were dangerous weapons and could really hurt someone, especially by accident. Akira showed them the safety latch on the barrel that prevented the guns from firing. He taught the DD how to remove the latch and also how to operate the gun. Akira finished with demonstration on how to reload the gun.
He pulled an ammo mag from the belt, flipped a different latch on the bottom of the handle and locked the mag into its space. The Digidestined imitated Akira and learned how to reload. Akira followed with a demonstration on how to activate the exoskeletons. He pressed the button on the belt and a fully sealed suit of body armour covered his body. The armour was jet black and had a texture more reminiscent of plastic rather than metal. The armour shaped itself around the contours of Akira's body like a mold.
Davis was thrilled by the experience. "Cool!" he remarked as the exoskeleton covered his body.
"I don't want anyone treating them like toys. Understood? " warned Akira. The Digidestined nodded. "Okay, guys any questions?"
No one had any questions. Akira then assigned Digibeetles for the Digidestined. Akira, Bertran, and Joy Joy would helm each Digibeetle. The Digidestined were to join them with two being in each vehicle. Akira picked Kari to go with him. Davis begged Akira to go with Kari, and so Akira picked him to man the cannon. Cody and Yolei joined Bertran and Ken and TK joined Joy Joy. The squad headed to a series of parked Digibeetles in a garage and drove out to initiate the attack.
The squad drove down the evacuated streets of Tokyo all the way to the Odaiba region. It wasn't long until they encountered the enemy.
"Enemy Digimon coming from the right!" cried Davis.
"Suppressing fire! Release the Digimon and make them Digivolve to Champion or Armour!" ordered Akira over the radio.
Davis fired the cannons to provide cover for their Digimon to beam out of memory. His cannons flashed as bolts of energy soared to his targets: four Flare Lizamon and three Okuwamon. The Flare Lizamon resembled Darkfryer himself in his Champion form of Dark Lizamon, but were immolated in orange fire rather than black. The Okuwamon were large insect-like Digimon protect by grey chitin. Their mandibles looked very strong and quite capable of crushing anything between them. Darkfryer, Gatomon, and Veemon appeared on the ruined streets ready to fight, as did the other Digimon.
"Veemon, Digivolve to... Ex Veemon!"
"Wormmon, Digivolve to... Stingmon!"
"Hawkmon, Armour Digivolve to... Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"
"Armadillomon, Armour Digivolve to... Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"
"Patamon, Digivolve to... Angemon"
"Demi Devimon, Digivolve to... Devimon!"
Akira, as leader of the squad, assigned targets for each of his squad's Digimon. Darkfryer, Angemon, Digmon, Halsemon, and Ex Veemon were assigned to fight the Okuwamon. The rest were sent after the Flare Lizamon. Akira ordered Joy Joy to support those attacking the Flare Lizamon group with cannon fire. Bertran was to help with Akira with the Okuwamon. The Okuwamon attackers unloaded with a stream of iridescent energy.
Cupping his hands together, a cone of jet-black flame burst forth from Darkfryer's hands. "Dread Fire!"
The Okuwamon flinched in pain as the flames burned his chitin. Angemon pressed the advantage with his own Hand of Fate and the Okuwamon back fumbled backwards. The Okuwamon recovered and flew into the air over Darkfryer's second Dread Fire attack. He charged from the sky in a dive-bomb, but Darkfryer bounced off his back to safety. The Okuwamon was unbalanced and Angemon capitalized with a Hand of Fate to the back of the head.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Ex Veemon channelled energy through the "X" on his chest. "Vee Laser!"
The "X" beam caught a different Okuwamon straight in the chest. It strained to resist the force of the blast and to continue its advance. Digmon supported with his own firepower with a salvo of Gold Rush drill missiles. The added firepower pushed the Okuwamon back a step; halting the giant insect Digimon's advance. Halsemon barrel rolled in place in the air for his Tempest Wing and a cyclone of red energy swirled around him. The cyclone extended and soon collided with Okuwamon, finally blowing the insect off his feet.
The third Okuwamon rushed in while the Digimon were busy with his brethren. His mandibles glowed as he batted them around to hit his enemies. "Double Scissor Claw!"
Darkfryer and Digmon were both hit. Darkfryer hurtled through the glass doors of a nearby restaurant and shattered them to pieces. Digmon crashed into the restaurant's sign, breaking it from its location above the door. Darkfryer leapt back onto to his feet and rushed back outside. His enhanced regeneration kicked in to repair the injuries to his body. Digmon rose to his feet and joined Darkfryer's side.
Kari's Gatomon lurched forth with her paw. "Lightning Paw!"
The claw cut into the chin of a Flare Lizamon and sent him flat on his back unconscious. Joy Joy's Gatomon's made her eyes glow a serene, hypnotic pink. Her gaze met the eyes of another Flare Lizamon, and sent the flaming lizard off to dreamland. Stingmon extended a blade of violet energy and prepared to dive in for a Spiking Strike. His target dodged at the last moment, leaving Stingmon momentarily vulnerable. On instinct, he ducked an incoming Blaze Buster jet of fire from the Flare Lizamon and caught the Digimon with a swing of his blade.
Devimon and the final Flare Lizamon exchanged slashes with their claws. Each blocked the other's slashes until Devimon scored a blow to Flare Lizamon's helmet. The fiery Digimon was dazed, giving Devimon the perfect chance for a special attack. Devimon's hand glowed with a dark aura and he uttered "Touch of Evil!" as he pricked Flare Lizamon in the back of the neck. Flare Lizamon's eyes glowed red and he became a slave to Devimon.
"Attack Stingmon's Flare Lizamon!" ordered Devimon.
Devimon's slave landed a flying kick to the back of Stingmon's enemy. The kick came as a surprise to the Digimon and he flew headfirst into a brick wall. The Digimon was knocked out cold from the impact and Stingmon complimented Devimon on a nice attack. With the Flare Lizamon dispatched, their attackers turned their attention to the Okuwamon. It turned into a ten on three Digimon confrontation in favour of the good guys. They enemy was outmatched, even though they were Ultimates. Akira decided to substitute in a fresh Digimon, recalling Darkfryer and releasing Lillith onto the field of battle. Bolts of energy rained upon the ranks of the Okuwamon from Davis, Ken, and Yolei's Digibeetle cannons. The shots disoriented the Okuwamon, causing minor injury to their bodies.
"Okay troops, let's finish this quickly!" declared Akira. "Digivolve to Ultimate! Ken, Yolei, suppressing fire!"
"Yes sir!" they replied.
"Halsemon, go back to Rookie to DNA Digivolve!" ordered Yolei.
"You too, Digmon," said Cody.
Halsemon returned to his Rookie stage and Digivolved to Champion. "Hawkmon, Digivolve to... Aquilamon!"
Digmon followed suit. "Armadillomon, Digivolve to... Ankylomon!"
"Ex Veemon..."
"Stingmon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Paildramon!"
"Aquilamon..."
"Gatomon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Silphymon!"
"Ankylomon..."
"Angemon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Shakkoumon!"
"Black Gatomon, Digivolve to... Lady Devimon!"
"Gatomon, Digivolve to... Angewomon!"
"Devimon, Digivolve to..."
Raising his arms in the air, Devimon was engulfed by a swarm of bats that clothed him with new garb. On his feet appeared a new set of metal boots adorned by bat symbols. Devimon's leather body suit shifted into a set of blue clothes with yellow buttons and highlights like that of a noble. A cape with jagged ends appeared on his back; black on the outside and red on the inside. Devimon's face turned more vampirish and was covered by a mask with bat wing-like adornments.
"Myotismon!"
Lillith cupped her hands together, and created a swarm of orange energy bats. "Darkness Wave!"
The swarm engulfed the nearby Okuwamon, and the swarm began to drain the insect's energy. Paildramon locked his hip guns on and unloaded with his Desperado Blaster. The Okuwamon flinched as each shot hit and ricocheted off its hard chitin. The Desperado Blaster shots pushed the insect Digimon back towards the side of an abandoned building. With Lillith's finishing Darkness Wave, the Okuwamon hurtled backwards into the building. The building collapsed and entombed the insect Digimon under its rubble.
Shakkoumon swivelled its head like a turret to aim at another Okuwamon. "Justice Beam!"
Shakkoumon's eyes became alit with a red glow. Beams of holy energy streamed forth; searing the Okuwamon's left claw. The digital insect flinched, but recovered quickly. It caught the artifact Digimon between its mandibles and proceeded to crush his victim. Silphymon responded to the distress of his comrade by charging and releasing a Static Force. The attack ground into the back of Okuwamon, knocking it out, and releasing Shakkoumon.
Shakkoumon was glad. "Thanks, Silphymon!" "No, problem!" Angewomon prepared an arrow of holy energy like an archer loading his bow with an arrow. "Celestial Arrow!"
She released the arrow and connected with the last Okuwamon's leg. It doubled up in pain, momentarily stunned and open to attack. A lash of blood red energy entwined around Okuwamon's leg before a sharp tug pulled the monster down. With a second lash from his Crimson Lightning, Myotismon finally put the insect down for good. The good guys claimed victory with the fall of the last enemy Digimon.
"Yeah, we did it!" cheered Davis.
The Digidestined and the GTs cheered triumphantly for their victory. Akira's squad continued to attack and waylay any enemy patrols they could find. All seemed to be going well, until disaster struck... At the time, Akira's squad was travelling down the road near Yolei's Ai Mart. Unknown to them, an android Digimon was hiding within the interior of a building. It waited until the time was ripe to ambush Akira's squad.
The android leapt out and attacked. "Atomic Ray!"
An iridescent blue beam burst from its hand and smashed into Akira's Digibeetle, causing an intense explosion. The Digibeetle was blown onto its side, but fortunately everyone fled the wreckage unharmed. The android stepped out into the open and everyone could see its appearance. It looked like the Digidestined's old friend Andromon, except it was completely inorganic and the dark grey metal looked much smoother and curved.
The rest of the squad came under heavy fire by many Blood Knight soldiers and their Digimon. Among the Digimon, the squad could see four more High Andromon and five Machinedramon. They hid from sight in their Rookie form and Warp Digivolved to attack by surprise. Yolei and Ken began unloading cannon fire into the first High Andromon. Bertran and Joy Joy released the Digimon to fight.
"Dark Lizamon, Warp Digivolve to... Millenniummon!"
"Angewomon, Mega Digivolve to... Ophanimon!"
"Myotismon, Mega Digivolve to... Malo Myotismon!"
"Paildramon, Mega Digivolve to... Imperial Dramon!"
"Dimension Destroyer!" called Darkfryer.
A pair of violet temporal beams burst forth from his shoulder cannons. It slammed into a Machinedramon hard and causing a temporal explosion. Machinedramon collapsed onto and crushed a nearby abandoned apartment, only to get up moments later. It returned fire with a heavy volley of Giga Cannon energy shots. Darkfryer altered space so as to redirect the shots back to a different Machinedramon. This other Machinedramon lurched forward as the shots blindsided him from behind. Eventually, the others broke through Darkfryer's defence and nailed the synthetic Digimon in the ribs.
"Darkfryer, are you alright?" asked a concerned Akira as he fled from enemy fire.
"I'm fine, just a little shook up."
"Positron Laser!" called Imperial Dramon.
A powerful, violet energy spiral streamed forth from the cannon on the dragon Digimon's back. It caught a High Andromon squarely in the chest and hurtled the android Digimon into an abandoned house. Imperial Dramon repeated his attack, blasting another of the High Andromon right into the ground. The Digimon climbed out the indentation on the ground and returned fire. Imperial Dramon banked and rolled to evade but eventually he was caught by an Atomic Ray and crashed onto the ground.
The situation was very bad and Akira desperately radioed HQ. "Mayday, Mayday! This is Elite Akira requesting assistance! We're taking heavy fire! Send assistance ASAP!"
From behind cover, Akira, Davis, and Kari exchanged gunshots with a squad of Blood Knight soldiers. After several minutes and exchanges of fire, the three managed to knock out two of the soldiers, leaving the other three still active. Due to the exoskeletons, it was more difficult to knock out the enemy. Lillith intervened and bought them some time to flee back towards the others. Everyone was in a general retreat, fleeing from the enemy ambush.
As Akira, Davis, and Kari ran to safety they didn't notice a damaged High Andromon targeting them. It fired an Atomic laser and everyone scrambled for cover from the explosion but Kari wasn't quick enough. She was knocked down, but fortunately unharmed thanks to her exoskeleton. The High Andromon grabbed her and held her like a human shield. The squad couldn't risk firing at the High Andromon for fear of hitting Kari instead.
All around them, the squad could see their Digimon struggling to beat impossible odds. Everyone of the squad's Digimon was injured to some degree and fatigued. The enemy was too numerous and too powerful. A volley of Giga Cannon fire nailed Shakkoumon in the head. He promptly regressed back to Patamon and Armadillomon, who were lying crippled on the ground.
Akira was forced to make a regrettable decision: "We have to retreat!"
An explosion interrupted their conversation. Cody objected: "We can't just leave one of our friends behind!"
Davis, however, knew deep down that there wasn't any alternative. "I don't like it either, and I'm sure Akira feels the same, but what choice do we have? Look at our Digimon, they're hurt and tired! Patamon and Armadillomon can't even get up anymore! We must leave now, we can rescue Kari later!"
Cody begrudgingly agreed with Davis. "You right, but I feel guilty about leaving her behind. I can't abandon a friend."
Kari's Gatomon gave her insight into this situation: " I know how you feel more than anyone, Cody. If we stay, who will be left to rescue Kari?"
"Bertran, wheel by my position and pick us up. Joy Joy, Digimon; cover Bertran!" ordered Akira.
Bertran stopped near Akira and Davis and the two rushed into the Digibeetle. Bertran and Joy Joy promptly beamed every Digimon back into the safety of the memory banks. They hit the Auto Pilot and were instantly transported back to base. The Digimon were promptly rushed to Guard Tamer medics for treatment of injuries. Akira and Davis were being examined by the medics for any signs of injury, and dismissed as being fine. The mechanics scrambled to service the Digibeetles, which had taken significant damage from the firefight. Akira had to have a new Digibeetle assigned to him since the Blood Knights destroyed his old one.
Akira reported back to Chris Conner about the surprise attack by the Blood Knights. Chris listened intently to Akira's story and understood the situation. He released Akira and all members of his squad from duty for the rest of the day. Akira joined his friends in the mess hall for some dinner and needed relaxation. Everyone was still shook up about the ambush and subsequent loss of Kari. The Digimon were finally released after their visit to the medics. The squad and Digimon happily embraced, all except for Kari's Gatomon, who was alone and depressed.
"Cheer up Gatomon, we'll get those Blood Knight punks!" stated Akira. "They sent us running today, but we'll be coming back for some payback tomorrow."
Gatomon's mood lifted slightly. "Yeah, I'd like nothing better than to tear up the Blood Knights like a scratching post!"
**************************************
The next day began with some news both good and bad. The Guard Tamer main force had pushed the enemy back to their base. The war in Japan would be over after one final push by Japan's defenders. The bad news was that the interrogation of captured Blood Knights turned up nothing on Kari's location. The Blood Knight POWs were just ordinary grunts with little knowledge of such matters. Akira's squad had no choice but to wait until higher ranked Blood Knights were captured and interrogated.
Chris Conner called the strategy meeting to order. The Japanese general walked up to the audience and congratulated them for a job well done. He extended his sympathies to Akira's squad and the Digidestined for the loss of their friend and comrade, Kari. He urged them not to give up hope yet, and that Kari could still be alive and rescued. The meeting continued on with the plan of attack against the Blood Knight remnants.
The plan called for a three-pronged attack. A leading group of Guard Tamers and Japanese military was to initiate a head-on attack from the south. This attack was a diversion to draw enemy away and expose their flanks. The other two groups would close in on the enemies' exposed north and east flanks and finish them off. However, the Chaos General, Chaos Seadramon, was spotted amongst the enemy. The general urged caution when dealing with the Chaos General.
Chris regained the stage and discussed the unit assignments. Akira's squad was to hit the enemy from the east. Chris dismissed the troops and Akira's squad rushed to the Digibeetles. Already, the lead attackers had travelled to the front, so there were fewer Digibeetles than usual. The squad travelled to their destination, a waypoint east of a set of biochemical facilities. From the squad's vantage point, they could see several Digimon engaged in heated battle.
This was their cue to move in and flank the enemy. The squad drove across ruined city streets and buildings. The Blood Knights had caused incredible damage to the city of Tokyo. The sooner they were driven away, the better. A gigantic, demonic, centaur Digimon finished its Digivolution and barred the squad's path. Its raven wings flapped around, blowing dirt and dust. Its serpentine head eyed them with contempt and malice. The rest of his squadron joined this Digimon, Galfmon, lead by none other than Chaos Seadramon himself. Among the enemy Digimon squadron were three Cherrymon, a High Andromon, and a Machinedramon. Many of the enemy were powerful Megas, and so needed more power to bring down.
"Okay squad, lay a suppressing fire on the enemy! Digimon, Digivolve as far as you can! We're fighting Megas!" ordered Akira.
"Dark Lizamon, Warp Digivolve to... Millenniummon!"
From Darkfryer's cannons came several volleys of violet energy that could rip the fabric of time and space. Temporal explosions and mini black holes popped up everywhere and kept the enemy preoccupied. The others began their Digivolution processes as well.
"Veemon, Digivolve to... Ex Veemon!"
"Wormmon, Digivolve to... Stingmon!"
Ex Veemon..."
"Stingmon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Paildramon!"
"Paildramon, Mega Digivolve to... Imperial Dramon!"
"Demi Devimon, Warp Digivolve to... Malo Myotismon!"
"Gatomon, Warp Digivolve to... Ophanimon!"
As the squad's Megas entered the field of battle they picked targets to attack. Darkfryer entered into a one-on-one confrontation with the leader, Chaos Seadramon. Imperial Dramon fought the old enemy of the Digidestined Machinedramon, though this Blood Knight one was not the Dark Master. Ophanimon took on High Andromon. Finally, Malo Myostismon took on the towering Galfmon. The opponents charged into range to attack each other. The rest of the Digidestined's Digimon began their Digivolution.
"Ankylomon..."
"Angemon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Shakkoumon!"
Shakkoumon hovered towards the three Cherrymon and began his attack. "Katchina Bombs!"
The emblem on Shakkoumon's stomach opened and bladed discs launched from the hole. The discs sliced into the bark of the Cherrymon painfully. They returned fire in a rapid fashion with a series of exploding cherry bombs. Every bomb hit Shakkoumon, but the artifact Digimon's armour was superior, and he suffered no damage. With three pairs of Justice Beams, he wiped out the Cherrymon and moved to aid the others.
Chaos Seadramon reared its head back. "River of Power!" it called, and a powerful beam of azure energy blazed forth.
Darkfryer prepared to counter the attack. He warped space and returned the attack back to his foe. Chaos Seadramon lurched forward as the beam nailed his unguarded backside. He was angry and tried the attack again. This time, he managed to hit Darkfryer and floor the synthetic Digimon. Darkfryer leapt back onto his feet and his regeneration kicked in to recover the injury. Darkfryer charged his Dimension Destroyer cannons and unloaded a volley of energy in return, only to have his victim dodge the shots.
Galfmon's Dead Scream attack bowled Malo Myotismon over with waves of dark energy from his mouth. Malo Myotismon counterattacked one of the new powers he learned during training. He sprayed a thick, tar-like darkness all over the feet of Galfmon, slowing the giant Digimon down. Now he had an easier time of attacking his foe. Opening his auxiliary maws for Screaming Darkness, he concentrated dark energy within them. The energy launched as a pair of black spheres, and each hit Galfmon like a gigantic wrecking ball. The giant lurched with each impact and fell to the ground.
Darkfryer gained the upper hand over his opponent, Chaos Seadramon. He grabbed the cybernetic sea serpent by the head and drove him straight into a nearby ruined building. Darkfryer took a few steps back and fanned dark energy from his hand over his fallen opponent. Chaos Seadramon flinched in pain, yet still managed to roll away and return to an upright position. By surprise, he fired a River of Power, but the beam suddenly changed direction and flew into Shakkoumon's body! Shakkoumon absorbed the beam and released some steam to the gratitude of Darkfryer.
"Nice save!" thanked Darkfryer.
"No problem!" replied Shakkoumon in his dual voice.
Now, Darkfryer renewed his attack on his opponent, with Shakkoumon's assistance. The two combined a Dimension Destroyer with a Justice Beam and slammed Chaos Seadramon upside the head. Chaos Seadramon began to show signs of fatigue. Black marks dotted his body, the result of hits and taking falls in battle. Darkfryer himself had only minor injuries due to Shakkoumon's intervention, and Shakkoumon was still very fresh.
This didn't last for long. Chaos Seadramon suddenly scored a hit with his River of Power. Shakkoumon was flattened and the beam continued to sear him even while he was down. Darkfryer grabbed Chaos Seadramon's head and suddenly turned it to face the back of High Andromon. The beam pushed into High Andromon's back like pressurized water jet. His face was driven into the ground, disrupting his game, and giving his foe an advantage.
"Looks like we're even," said Shakkoumon in jest.
"Sure does..." chuckled Darkfryer.
High Andromon was disoriented. Ophanimon mentally thanked Darkfryer for the great advantage he gave her over High Andromon. Her Eden's Javelin clanked as she bashed High Andromon's head in with its length. She drove the point into his chest with all her strength, penetrating all the way through to the back. She rose into the air, and with one final Sefirot Crystal attack, finished High Andromon for good. She moved to assist her friend Malo Myotismon with his opponent.
Galfmon was impeded by the tar-like darkness, but his immense defence power softened the blows made by Malo Myotismon. Ophanimon fired another round of holy Sefirot Crystal energy and exploited Galfmon's vulnerability to holy energy. The blast produced a scintillating explosion of holy energy, freeing the beast, but knocking him onto his side. On the ground, Galfmon returned fire with the dread Dead Scream attack, blowing the angel out of the sky.
Imperial Dramon saw Ophanimon land near him checked her condition. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, just a little shook up," she replied.
"Let's finish Machinedramon off!" urged Imperial Dramon. "Positron Laser!"
"Sefirot Crystal!"
The two attacks penetrated the Chrome Digizoid dragon's armour; punching a huge hole through his chest. Machinedramon collapsed onto the ground as his circuitry burst into flames. After a few more explosions, the mechanical dragon broke into data. Some unknown force, like a vacuum cleaner sucking dirt and dust, pulled the data away. The two moved on help the others.
"Time Unlimited!" Bolts of electricity arced from Darkfryer's hand, opening a swirling vortex of crackling energy. "Shakkoumon, help me throw that piece of trash to the gutter!"
"No problem! Justice Beam!"
With Chaos Seadramon weakened, the teapot Digimon's crimson beams of holiness were able to penetrate the Chaos General's defences. The beams pushed the dazed Digimon closer to the vortex of doom. Darkfryer teleported next to Shakkoumon and unloaded his Dimension Destroyer. Chaos Seadramon was now mere inches from the portal. He seemed dazed, only to suddenly recover and attack!
"River of Power!"
A pair of energy beams surged forward towards Darkfryer and Shakkoumon. Darkfryer prepared to take a fall to maintain the vortex. The first beam hit Darkfryer and bowled him over. However, Darkfryer's preparation allowed him to keep the concentration needed to maintain the portal. The other beam ground into Shakkoumon's body until he activated his absorption power and dissipated the beam.
"Okay, let's get him Darkfryer! Justice Beam!"
"Dimension Destroyer!"
The two attacks hit the Chaos General and shot him backwards as though he was fired from a cannon. He hurtled helplessly into the portal and Darkfryer collapsed it, deleting Chaos Seadramon. The two victorious Digimon, Darkfryer and Shakkoumon, celebrated the defeat of the last Chaos General, Chaos Seadramon. All that remained now is the Generals' leader, Chaos Lord.
"Yeah!" cheered Shakkoumon, TK, Cody, Akira, and Darkfryer.
Ophanimon, Imperial Dramon, and Malo Myotismon mopped up the remaining Galfmon with a gigantic mass attack, destroying the last of the enemy squad. They all cheered upon realizing their victory.
"Alright!" cheered Bertran and the others.
"I hope we can find some information about Kari now," prayed Gatomon.
"I hope so too," agreed TK. "For now, let's enjoy this victory. We earned it!"
Toei and Bandai own Digimon. Bandai owns Digimon World 2.
Guard Tamer: Blight of GAIA By: RB3
Chapter 6: Arms Race, part 1
Bertran, and Joy Joy entered the Real World for the first time after decades of Digital World time. This was a place they never expected to return to after devoting themselves to the defence of the Digital World. The plains of Japan extended far beyond what the eye could see. Behind them in the distance was the city of Tokyo itself, a vast metropolis that broke monotony of the plains. It would be a peaceful place to be, were it not for the explosions within the limits of Tokyo itself.
Every few seconds a missile exploding or a gun being fired could be heard. Strange inhuman shapes milled about and flew in the skies over the city. Bertran and Joy Joy were sure the shapes were of Blood Knight Digimon. Parts of the city itself suffered severed damage from repeated shelling and bombardment by these very Digimon. The people of Tokyo were in trouble and it was up to the Guard Tamers to put a stop to the bloodshed.
Guard Tamer troops began to establish their own base of operations, a campsite. A trooper placed a miniature building onto the ground and pushed a button-like object on the miniature. It suddenly grew to an astronomical size, becoming a new building. This new building was a temporary command centre from which Guard Tamer leaders directed their underlings. Other troopers placed buildings for a Digibeetle garage, infirmary, and dormitories.
Within a span of an hour, the whole base was established and Guard Tamers began to staff the buildings. A Black Sword Guard Tamer named Chris Conner called a meeting. Chris had the rank of Commander and so was in charge of leading the troops. He was a fairly tall man in his thirties, with violet hair and beard. He stroked his beard as he watched the troops file in.
Akira took his seat on the third row from the front, to the right of Kari Kamiya. Davis' Digidestined group all sat to the left of Kari, while Bertran and Joy Joy sat on Akira's right. The Digimon that were smaller sat in their partner's lap while the larger ones like Darkfryer had to stand. This meeting was a strategy meeting and everyone was gossiping about what will happen in the upcoming battle.
Cody objected greatly to the violence of war. "I hate all this. Already, we've had to kill several Blood Knight Digimon. I don't want to kill anymore Digimon, it's just wrong."
Yolei agreed. "I don't like it either."
"I feel the same way, but there are things we must do to protect ourselves and others," pointed out Davis. "We have too much riding on this..."
"For once Davis is right. Many people lives are at stake here. This is now a issue of what needs to be done, not what we want to do..." added TK.
"No one can have clean hands being defenders like we are," added Lillith.
Everyone, including Cody and Yolei reluctantly, nodded in agreement with the point made by Davis. Chris called the meeting to order and began with a brief self-introduction. The meeting went on to describe the reasons for the Guard Tamer presence in the Real World. Normally, the GTs had a non-interference policy with the Real World. With the Blood Knight attacks on the Real World, they had no choice but to intervene. The Real World armies weren't equipped or ready to face a foe like the Blood Knights.
Even more disturbing was the reason for the Blood Knights' attack on the Real World. They were searching for materials to create a new biochemical weapon. From the report of spies like Oikawa, the new toxin in these weapons was called "Blight." It was a vile and virulent compound, but wasn't as big a danger to GTs, Blood Knights, or their Digimon. All of them had enhancements made to their bodies to enable faster healing and regeneration. Both GTs and Blood Knights were more scientifically advanced and could cure Blight easily.
The same could not be said of the Real World and its inhabitants. Real World medicine wasn't advanced enough to cure the plague. It was obvious the Blood Knights intended to use the disease against the Real World. The Guard Tamers were one step behind the enemy, who took advantage of the head start to accumulate materials. Thus, there was not enough time to inoculate everyone in the Real World. Blight as a weapon was a true threat, and with enough it could wipe out the Real World's population.
Blight killed its victims by rotting their skin; slowly and painfully disrupting their bodily functions. Victims could be identified by a series of moldy growths growing on their skin. Their skin itself turned a sickly green, as though poison was seeping through the veins. The complexion of a Blight victim was very decrepit, resembling that of a zombie from a cheap horror movie. Victims may also experience difficulty in breathing as the toxin could clog wind passages in the body. Blight was a truly vile disease and only a sick and twisted mind would create something so terrifying.
As Akira listened to the description of the symptoms of Blight, he began to feel a sensation of discomfort. A feeling of deathly coldness and clamminess overtook his body. It was a familiar sensation and one that disturbed the very deepest reaches of his soul. He could envision a green cloud of Blight engulfing his entire body and the toxic cloud permeating the pores of his skin. Akira began to struggle to breathe as though his lungs were being clogged by thick goo.
Kari looked at Akira and noticed him shuddering uncontrollably as though in fear. "Akira, you alright?" she asked.
Akira did not respond. "Akira, are you alright?" she repeated.
Akira broke his trance and responded to Kari: "I'm fine..."
"You zoned out there for awhile. You were shuddering. It looked like you were afraid of something," suggested Darkfryer.
"Yeah. When I heard Chris describe the Blight, I felt like I was being infected. I felt cold and lifeless as though I was dead," admitted Akira as he shuddered. "I never felt so terrified in my life..."
"It sounds like you're just imagining things. You're not being infected at all..." dismissed Lillith.
"No, it was more than that... It was a coldness that came from very deep within. It was like a flashback from within my very soul. It is something I never want to see."
Kari, Lillith, and Darkfryer felt helpless. Their friend was scared and they didn't know what to do.
"If you ever want to talk about it..." offered Kari.
"I'll be fine. Thanks anyways, Kari."
Chris finished by extending an invitation to a Japanese military general. The Japanese armed forces have given their full cooperation in stopping the attacks of the Blood Knight invaders. On the screen was a map of Tokyo and the surrounding areas. Akira's squad, which consisted of Bertran, Joy Joy, and the Digidestined, was to make a hit-and-run raid meant to soften up enemy forces. After causing as much damage as possible the main force will move in to finish the enemy off.
Chris dismissed the raiders and Akira's squad went to the equipment room to get prepared. The equipment room itself was metallic, and had little in the way of decorations. On a rack opposite the door laid a series of small Uzi-like submachine guns. Unlike normal Uzis, these weapons fired energy bolts, which could either stun or kill a victim. There were small LCDs to show the ammunition and setting of the weapon. The guns were small, light and did not recoil when fired.
On the rack beside it was a series of strange looking black belts. They looked like the belts worn by wrestling or boxing champions. All around the front of the belt were a series of four small pockets. Each was filled with a rectangular cartridge. They were ammunition magazines and the pockets were recharging bays for these cartridges. On the central, circular part of the belt was a single red button. This button activated the defensive functions of the belt. The last feature was a single holster, obviously meant to hold the gun.
Akira took a gun and put a belt on. "Okay Digidestined, grab those guns and put on the belts."
The Digidestined did as they were told and strapped the belts on. They were a little afraid to take the guns as they were dangerous weapons and could really hurt someone, especially by accident. Akira showed them the safety latch on the barrel that prevented the guns from firing. He taught the DD how to remove the latch and also how to operate the gun. Akira finished with demonstration on how to reload the gun.
He pulled an ammo mag from the belt, flipped a different latch on the bottom of the handle and locked the mag into its space. The Digidestined imitated Akira and learned how to reload. Akira followed with a demonstration on how to activate the exoskeletons. He pressed the button on the belt and a fully sealed suit of body armour covered his body. The armour was jet black and had a texture more reminiscent of plastic rather than metal. The armour shaped itself around the contours of Akira's body like a mold.
Davis was thrilled by the experience. "Cool!" he remarked as the exoskeleton covered his body.
"I don't want anyone treating them like toys. Understood? " warned Akira. The Digidestined nodded. "Okay, guys any questions?"
No one had any questions. Akira then assigned Digibeetles for the Digidestined. Akira, Bertran, and Joy Joy would helm each Digibeetle. The Digidestined were to join them with two being in each vehicle. Akira picked Kari to go with him. Davis begged Akira to go with Kari, and so Akira picked him to man the cannon. Cody and Yolei joined Bertran and Ken and TK joined Joy Joy. The squad headed to a series of parked Digibeetles in a garage and drove out to initiate the attack.
The squad drove down the evacuated streets of Tokyo all the way to the Odaiba region. It wasn't long until they encountered the enemy.
"Enemy Digimon coming from the right!" cried Davis.
"Suppressing fire! Release the Digimon and make them Digivolve to Champion or Armour!" ordered Akira over the radio.
Davis fired the cannons to provide cover for their Digimon to beam out of memory. His cannons flashed as bolts of energy soared to his targets: four Flare Lizamon and three Okuwamon. The Flare Lizamon resembled Darkfryer himself in his Champion form of Dark Lizamon, but were immolated in orange fire rather than black. The Okuwamon were large insect-like Digimon protect by grey chitin. Their mandibles looked very strong and quite capable of crushing anything between them. Darkfryer, Gatomon, and Veemon appeared on the ruined streets ready to fight, as did the other Digimon.
"Veemon, Digivolve to... Ex Veemon!"
"Wormmon, Digivolve to... Stingmon!"
"Hawkmon, Armour Digivolve to... Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"
"Armadillomon, Armour Digivolve to... Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"
"Patamon, Digivolve to... Angemon"
"Demi Devimon, Digivolve to... Devimon!"
Akira, as leader of the squad, assigned targets for each of his squad's Digimon. Darkfryer, Angemon, Digmon, Halsemon, and Ex Veemon were assigned to fight the Okuwamon. The rest were sent after the Flare Lizamon. Akira ordered Joy Joy to support those attacking the Flare Lizamon group with cannon fire. Bertran was to help with Akira with the Okuwamon. The Okuwamon attackers unloaded with a stream of iridescent energy.
Cupping his hands together, a cone of jet-black flame burst forth from Darkfryer's hands. "Dread Fire!"
The Okuwamon flinched in pain as the flames burned his chitin. Angemon pressed the advantage with his own Hand of Fate and the Okuwamon back fumbled backwards. The Okuwamon recovered and flew into the air over Darkfryer's second Dread Fire attack. He charged from the sky in a dive-bomb, but Darkfryer bounced off his back to safety. The Okuwamon was unbalanced and Angemon capitalized with a Hand of Fate to the back of the head.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Ex Veemon channelled energy through the "X" on his chest. "Vee Laser!"
The "X" beam caught a different Okuwamon straight in the chest. It strained to resist the force of the blast and to continue its advance. Digmon supported with his own firepower with a salvo of Gold Rush drill missiles. The added firepower pushed the Okuwamon back a step; halting the giant insect Digimon's advance. Halsemon barrel rolled in place in the air for his Tempest Wing and a cyclone of red energy swirled around him. The cyclone extended and soon collided with Okuwamon, finally blowing the insect off his feet.
The third Okuwamon rushed in while the Digimon were busy with his brethren. His mandibles glowed as he batted them around to hit his enemies. "Double Scissor Claw!"
Darkfryer and Digmon were both hit. Darkfryer hurtled through the glass doors of a nearby restaurant and shattered them to pieces. Digmon crashed into the restaurant's sign, breaking it from its location above the door. Darkfryer leapt back onto to his feet and rushed back outside. His enhanced regeneration kicked in to repair the injuries to his body. Digmon rose to his feet and joined Darkfryer's side.
Kari's Gatomon lurched forth with her paw. "Lightning Paw!"
The claw cut into the chin of a Flare Lizamon and sent him flat on his back unconscious. Joy Joy's Gatomon's made her eyes glow a serene, hypnotic pink. Her gaze met the eyes of another Flare Lizamon, and sent the flaming lizard off to dreamland. Stingmon extended a blade of violet energy and prepared to dive in for a Spiking Strike. His target dodged at the last moment, leaving Stingmon momentarily vulnerable. On instinct, he ducked an incoming Blaze Buster jet of fire from the Flare Lizamon and caught the Digimon with a swing of his blade.
Devimon and the final Flare Lizamon exchanged slashes with their claws. Each blocked the other's slashes until Devimon scored a blow to Flare Lizamon's helmet. The fiery Digimon was dazed, giving Devimon the perfect chance for a special attack. Devimon's hand glowed with a dark aura and he uttered "Touch of Evil!" as he pricked Flare Lizamon in the back of the neck. Flare Lizamon's eyes glowed red and he became a slave to Devimon.
"Attack Stingmon's Flare Lizamon!" ordered Devimon.
Devimon's slave landed a flying kick to the back of Stingmon's enemy. The kick came as a surprise to the Digimon and he flew headfirst into a brick wall. The Digimon was knocked out cold from the impact and Stingmon complimented Devimon on a nice attack. With the Flare Lizamon dispatched, their attackers turned their attention to the Okuwamon. It turned into a ten on three Digimon confrontation in favour of the good guys. They enemy was outmatched, even though they were Ultimates. Akira decided to substitute in a fresh Digimon, recalling Darkfryer and releasing Lillith onto the field of battle. Bolts of energy rained upon the ranks of the Okuwamon from Davis, Ken, and Yolei's Digibeetle cannons. The shots disoriented the Okuwamon, causing minor injury to their bodies.
"Okay troops, let's finish this quickly!" declared Akira. "Digivolve to Ultimate! Ken, Yolei, suppressing fire!"
"Yes sir!" they replied.
"Halsemon, go back to Rookie to DNA Digivolve!" ordered Yolei.
"You too, Digmon," said Cody.
Halsemon returned to his Rookie stage and Digivolved to Champion. "Hawkmon, Digivolve to... Aquilamon!"
Digmon followed suit. "Armadillomon, Digivolve to... Ankylomon!"
"Ex Veemon..."
"Stingmon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Paildramon!"
"Aquilamon..."
"Gatomon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Silphymon!"
"Ankylomon..."
"Angemon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Shakkoumon!"
"Black Gatomon, Digivolve to... Lady Devimon!"
"Gatomon, Digivolve to... Angewomon!"
"Devimon, Digivolve to..."
Raising his arms in the air, Devimon was engulfed by a swarm of bats that clothed him with new garb. On his feet appeared a new set of metal boots adorned by bat symbols. Devimon's leather body suit shifted into a set of blue clothes with yellow buttons and highlights like that of a noble. A cape with jagged ends appeared on his back; black on the outside and red on the inside. Devimon's face turned more vampirish and was covered by a mask with bat wing-like adornments.
"Myotismon!"
Lillith cupped her hands together, and created a swarm of orange energy bats. "Darkness Wave!"
The swarm engulfed the nearby Okuwamon, and the swarm began to drain the insect's energy. Paildramon locked his hip guns on and unloaded with his Desperado Blaster. The Okuwamon flinched as each shot hit and ricocheted off its hard chitin. The Desperado Blaster shots pushed the insect Digimon back towards the side of an abandoned building. With Lillith's finishing Darkness Wave, the Okuwamon hurtled backwards into the building. The building collapsed and entombed the insect Digimon under its rubble.
Shakkoumon swivelled its head like a turret to aim at another Okuwamon. "Justice Beam!"
Shakkoumon's eyes became alit with a red glow. Beams of holy energy streamed forth; searing the Okuwamon's left claw. The digital insect flinched, but recovered quickly. It caught the artifact Digimon between its mandibles and proceeded to crush his victim. Silphymon responded to the distress of his comrade by charging and releasing a Static Force. The attack ground into the back of Okuwamon, knocking it out, and releasing Shakkoumon.
Shakkoumon was glad. "Thanks, Silphymon!" "No, problem!" Angewomon prepared an arrow of holy energy like an archer loading his bow with an arrow. "Celestial Arrow!"
She released the arrow and connected with the last Okuwamon's leg. It doubled up in pain, momentarily stunned and open to attack. A lash of blood red energy entwined around Okuwamon's leg before a sharp tug pulled the monster down. With a second lash from his Crimson Lightning, Myotismon finally put the insect down for good. The good guys claimed victory with the fall of the last enemy Digimon.
"Yeah, we did it!" cheered Davis.
The Digidestined and the GTs cheered triumphantly for their victory. Akira's squad continued to attack and waylay any enemy patrols they could find. All seemed to be going well, until disaster struck... At the time, Akira's squad was travelling down the road near Yolei's Ai Mart. Unknown to them, an android Digimon was hiding within the interior of a building. It waited until the time was ripe to ambush Akira's squad.
The android leapt out and attacked. "Atomic Ray!"
An iridescent blue beam burst from its hand and smashed into Akira's Digibeetle, causing an intense explosion. The Digibeetle was blown onto its side, but fortunately everyone fled the wreckage unharmed. The android stepped out into the open and everyone could see its appearance. It looked like the Digidestined's old friend Andromon, except it was completely inorganic and the dark grey metal looked much smoother and curved.
The rest of the squad came under heavy fire by many Blood Knight soldiers and their Digimon. Among the Digimon, the squad could see four more High Andromon and five Machinedramon. They hid from sight in their Rookie form and Warp Digivolved to attack by surprise. Yolei and Ken began unloading cannon fire into the first High Andromon. Bertran and Joy Joy released the Digimon to fight.
"Dark Lizamon, Warp Digivolve to... Millenniummon!"
"Angewomon, Mega Digivolve to... Ophanimon!"
"Myotismon, Mega Digivolve to... Malo Myotismon!"
"Paildramon, Mega Digivolve to... Imperial Dramon!"
"Dimension Destroyer!" called Darkfryer.
A pair of violet temporal beams burst forth from his shoulder cannons. It slammed into a Machinedramon hard and causing a temporal explosion. Machinedramon collapsed onto and crushed a nearby abandoned apartment, only to get up moments later. It returned fire with a heavy volley of Giga Cannon energy shots. Darkfryer altered space so as to redirect the shots back to a different Machinedramon. This other Machinedramon lurched forward as the shots blindsided him from behind. Eventually, the others broke through Darkfryer's defence and nailed the synthetic Digimon in the ribs.
"Darkfryer, are you alright?" asked a concerned Akira as he fled from enemy fire.
"I'm fine, just a little shook up."
"Positron Laser!" called Imperial Dramon.
A powerful, violet energy spiral streamed forth from the cannon on the dragon Digimon's back. It caught a High Andromon squarely in the chest and hurtled the android Digimon into an abandoned house. Imperial Dramon repeated his attack, blasting another of the High Andromon right into the ground. The Digimon climbed out the indentation on the ground and returned fire. Imperial Dramon banked and rolled to evade but eventually he was caught by an Atomic Ray and crashed onto the ground.
The situation was very bad and Akira desperately radioed HQ. "Mayday, Mayday! This is Elite Akira requesting assistance! We're taking heavy fire! Send assistance ASAP!"
From behind cover, Akira, Davis, and Kari exchanged gunshots with a squad of Blood Knight soldiers. After several minutes and exchanges of fire, the three managed to knock out two of the soldiers, leaving the other three still active. Due to the exoskeletons, it was more difficult to knock out the enemy. Lillith intervened and bought them some time to flee back towards the others. Everyone was in a general retreat, fleeing from the enemy ambush.
As Akira, Davis, and Kari ran to safety they didn't notice a damaged High Andromon targeting them. It fired an Atomic laser and everyone scrambled for cover from the explosion but Kari wasn't quick enough. She was knocked down, but fortunately unharmed thanks to her exoskeleton. The High Andromon grabbed her and held her like a human shield. The squad couldn't risk firing at the High Andromon for fear of hitting Kari instead.
All around them, the squad could see their Digimon struggling to beat impossible odds. Everyone of the squad's Digimon was injured to some degree and fatigued. The enemy was too numerous and too powerful. A volley of Giga Cannon fire nailed Shakkoumon in the head. He promptly regressed back to Patamon and Armadillomon, who were lying crippled on the ground.
Akira was forced to make a regrettable decision: "We have to retreat!"
An explosion interrupted their conversation. Cody objected: "We can't just leave one of our friends behind!"
Davis, however, knew deep down that there wasn't any alternative. "I don't like it either, and I'm sure Akira feels the same, but what choice do we have? Look at our Digimon, they're hurt and tired! Patamon and Armadillomon can't even get up anymore! We must leave now, we can rescue Kari later!"
Cody begrudgingly agreed with Davis. "You right, but I feel guilty about leaving her behind. I can't abandon a friend."
Kari's Gatomon gave her insight into this situation: " I know how you feel more than anyone, Cody. If we stay, who will be left to rescue Kari?"
"Bertran, wheel by my position and pick us up. Joy Joy, Digimon; cover Bertran!" ordered Akira.
Bertran stopped near Akira and Davis and the two rushed into the Digibeetle. Bertran and Joy Joy promptly beamed every Digimon back into the safety of the memory banks. They hit the Auto Pilot and were instantly transported back to base. The Digimon were promptly rushed to Guard Tamer medics for treatment of injuries. Akira and Davis were being examined by the medics for any signs of injury, and dismissed as being fine. The mechanics scrambled to service the Digibeetles, which had taken significant damage from the firefight. Akira had to have a new Digibeetle assigned to him since the Blood Knights destroyed his old one.
Akira reported back to Chris Conner about the surprise attack by the Blood Knights. Chris listened intently to Akira's story and understood the situation. He released Akira and all members of his squad from duty for the rest of the day. Akira joined his friends in the mess hall for some dinner and needed relaxation. Everyone was still shook up about the ambush and subsequent loss of Kari. The Digimon were finally released after their visit to the medics. The squad and Digimon happily embraced, all except for Kari's Gatomon, who was alone and depressed.
"Cheer up Gatomon, we'll get those Blood Knight punks!" stated Akira. "They sent us running today, but we'll be coming back for some payback tomorrow."
Gatomon's mood lifted slightly. "Yeah, I'd like nothing better than to tear up the Blood Knights like a scratching post!"
**************************************
The next day began with some news both good and bad. The Guard Tamer main force had pushed the enemy back to their base. The war in Japan would be over after one final push by Japan's defenders. The bad news was that the interrogation of captured Blood Knights turned up nothing on Kari's location. The Blood Knight POWs were just ordinary grunts with little knowledge of such matters. Akira's squad had no choice but to wait until higher ranked Blood Knights were captured and interrogated.
Chris Conner called the strategy meeting to order. The Japanese general walked up to the audience and congratulated them for a job well done. He extended his sympathies to Akira's squad and the Digidestined for the loss of their friend and comrade, Kari. He urged them not to give up hope yet, and that Kari could still be alive and rescued. The meeting continued on with the plan of attack against the Blood Knight remnants.
The plan called for a three-pronged attack. A leading group of Guard Tamers and Japanese military was to initiate a head-on attack from the south. This attack was a diversion to draw enemy away and expose their flanks. The other two groups would close in on the enemies' exposed north and east flanks and finish them off. However, the Chaos General, Chaos Seadramon, was spotted amongst the enemy. The general urged caution when dealing with the Chaos General.
Chris regained the stage and discussed the unit assignments. Akira's squad was to hit the enemy from the east. Chris dismissed the troops and Akira's squad rushed to the Digibeetles. Already, the lead attackers had travelled to the front, so there were fewer Digibeetles than usual. The squad travelled to their destination, a waypoint east of a set of biochemical facilities. From the squad's vantage point, they could see several Digimon engaged in heated battle.
This was their cue to move in and flank the enemy. The squad drove across ruined city streets and buildings. The Blood Knights had caused incredible damage to the city of Tokyo. The sooner they were driven away, the better. A gigantic, demonic, centaur Digimon finished its Digivolution and barred the squad's path. Its raven wings flapped around, blowing dirt and dust. Its serpentine head eyed them with contempt and malice. The rest of his squadron joined this Digimon, Galfmon, lead by none other than Chaos Seadramon himself. Among the enemy Digimon squadron were three Cherrymon, a High Andromon, and a Machinedramon. Many of the enemy were powerful Megas, and so needed more power to bring down.
"Okay squad, lay a suppressing fire on the enemy! Digimon, Digivolve as far as you can! We're fighting Megas!" ordered Akira.
"Dark Lizamon, Warp Digivolve to... Millenniummon!"
From Darkfryer's cannons came several volleys of violet energy that could rip the fabric of time and space. Temporal explosions and mini black holes popped up everywhere and kept the enemy preoccupied. The others began their Digivolution processes as well.
"Veemon, Digivolve to... Ex Veemon!"
"Wormmon, Digivolve to... Stingmon!"
Ex Veemon..."
"Stingmon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Paildramon!"
"Paildramon, Mega Digivolve to... Imperial Dramon!"
"Demi Devimon, Warp Digivolve to... Malo Myotismon!"
"Gatomon, Warp Digivolve to... Ophanimon!"
As the squad's Megas entered the field of battle they picked targets to attack. Darkfryer entered into a one-on-one confrontation with the leader, Chaos Seadramon. Imperial Dramon fought the old enemy of the Digidestined Machinedramon, though this Blood Knight one was not the Dark Master. Ophanimon took on High Andromon. Finally, Malo Myostismon took on the towering Galfmon. The opponents charged into range to attack each other. The rest of the Digidestined's Digimon began their Digivolution.
"Ankylomon..."
"Angemon..."
"DNA Digivolve to... Shakkoumon!"
Shakkoumon hovered towards the three Cherrymon and began his attack. "Katchina Bombs!"
The emblem on Shakkoumon's stomach opened and bladed discs launched from the hole. The discs sliced into the bark of the Cherrymon painfully. They returned fire in a rapid fashion with a series of exploding cherry bombs. Every bomb hit Shakkoumon, but the artifact Digimon's armour was superior, and he suffered no damage. With three pairs of Justice Beams, he wiped out the Cherrymon and moved to aid the others.
Chaos Seadramon reared its head back. "River of Power!" it called, and a powerful beam of azure energy blazed forth.
Darkfryer prepared to counter the attack. He warped space and returned the attack back to his foe. Chaos Seadramon lurched forward as the beam nailed his unguarded backside. He was angry and tried the attack again. This time, he managed to hit Darkfryer and floor the synthetic Digimon. Darkfryer leapt back onto his feet and his regeneration kicked in to recover the injury. Darkfryer charged his Dimension Destroyer cannons and unloaded a volley of energy in return, only to have his victim dodge the shots.
Galfmon's Dead Scream attack bowled Malo Myotismon over with waves of dark energy from his mouth. Malo Myotismon counterattacked one of the new powers he learned during training. He sprayed a thick, tar-like darkness all over the feet of Galfmon, slowing the giant Digimon down. Now he had an easier time of attacking his foe. Opening his auxiliary maws for Screaming Darkness, he concentrated dark energy within them. The energy launched as a pair of black spheres, and each hit Galfmon like a gigantic wrecking ball. The giant lurched with each impact and fell to the ground.
Darkfryer gained the upper hand over his opponent, Chaos Seadramon. He grabbed the cybernetic sea serpent by the head and drove him straight into a nearby ruined building. Darkfryer took a few steps back and fanned dark energy from his hand over his fallen opponent. Chaos Seadramon flinched in pain, yet still managed to roll away and return to an upright position. By surprise, he fired a River of Power, but the beam suddenly changed direction and flew into Shakkoumon's body! Shakkoumon absorbed the beam and released some steam to the gratitude of Darkfryer.
"Nice save!" thanked Darkfryer.
"No problem!" replied Shakkoumon in his dual voice.
Now, Darkfryer renewed his attack on his opponent, with Shakkoumon's assistance. The two combined a Dimension Destroyer with a Justice Beam and slammed Chaos Seadramon upside the head. Chaos Seadramon began to show signs of fatigue. Black marks dotted his body, the result of hits and taking falls in battle. Darkfryer himself had only minor injuries due to Shakkoumon's intervention, and Shakkoumon was still very fresh.
This didn't last for long. Chaos Seadramon suddenly scored a hit with his River of Power. Shakkoumon was flattened and the beam continued to sear him even while he was down. Darkfryer grabbed Chaos Seadramon's head and suddenly turned it to face the back of High Andromon. The beam pushed into High Andromon's back like pressurized water jet. His face was driven into the ground, disrupting his game, and giving his foe an advantage.
"Looks like we're even," said Shakkoumon in jest.
"Sure does..." chuckled Darkfryer.
High Andromon was disoriented. Ophanimon mentally thanked Darkfryer for the great advantage he gave her over High Andromon. Her Eden's Javelin clanked as she bashed High Andromon's head in with its length. She drove the point into his chest with all her strength, penetrating all the way through to the back. She rose into the air, and with one final Sefirot Crystal attack, finished High Andromon for good. She moved to assist her friend Malo Myotismon with his opponent.
Galfmon was impeded by the tar-like darkness, but his immense defence power softened the blows made by Malo Myotismon. Ophanimon fired another round of holy Sefirot Crystal energy and exploited Galfmon's vulnerability to holy energy. The blast produced a scintillating explosion of holy energy, freeing the beast, but knocking him onto his side. On the ground, Galfmon returned fire with the dread Dead Scream attack, blowing the angel out of the sky.
Imperial Dramon saw Ophanimon land near him checked her condition. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, just a little shook up," she replied.
"Let's finish Machinedramon off!" urged Imperial Dramon. "Positron Laser!"
"Sefirot Crystal!"
The two attacks penetrated the Chrome Digizoid dragon's armour; punching a huge hole through his chest. Machinedramon collapsed onto the ground as his circuitry burst into flames. After a few more explosions, the mechanical dragon broke into data. Some unknown force, like a vacuum cleaner sucking dirt and dust, pulled the data away. The two moved on help the others.
"Time Unlimited!" Bolts of electricity arced from Darkfryer's hand, opening a swirling vortex of crackling energy. "Shakkoumon, help me throw that piece of trash to the gutter!"
"No problem! Justice Beam!"
With Chaos Seadramon weakened, the teapot Digimon's crimson beams of holiness were able to penetrate the Chaos General's defences. The beams pushed the dazed Digimon closer to the vortex of doom. Darkfryer teleported next to Shakkoumon and unloaded his Dimension Destroyer. Chaos Seadramon was now mere inches from the portal. He seemed dazed, only to suddenly recover and attack!
"River of Power!"
A pair of energy beams surged forward towards Darkfryer and Shakkoumon. Darkfryer prepared to take a fall to maintain the vortex. The first beam hit Darkfryer and bowled him over. However, Darkfryer's preparation allowed him to keep the concentration needed to maintain the portal. The other beam ground into Shakkoumon's body until he activated his absorption power and dissipated the beam.
"Okay, let's get him Darkfryer! Justice Beam!"
"Dimension Destroyer!"
The two attacks hit the Chaos General and shot him backwards as though he was fired from a cannon. He hurtled helplessly into the portal and Darkfryer collapsed it, deleting Chaos Seadramon. The two victorious Digimon, Darkfryer and Shakkoumon, celebrated the defeat of the last Chaos General, Chaos Seadramon. All that remained now is the Generals' leader, Chaos Lord.
"Yeah!" cheered Shakkoumon, TK, Cody, Akira, and Darkfryer.
Ophanimon, Imperial Dramon, and Malo Myotismon mopped up the remaining Galfmon with a gigantic mass attack, destroying the last of the enemy squad. They all cheered upon realizing their victory.
"Alright!" cheered Bertran and the others.
"I hope we can find some information about Kari now," prayed Gatomon.
"I hope so too," agreed TK. "For now, let's enjoy this victory. We earned it!"